Planners recommend zoning changes for Daleville Town Center

The Botetourt Planning Commission recommended changes to the county’s zoning ordinance that would affect Daleville Town Center, and it recommended proffer changes and approving a special exceptions permit (SEP), which, if approved by the Board of Supervisors, will allow the developer to increase the number of apartments that can be built there, and allow two four-story apartment buildings.

The planners also recommended the supervisors approve an SEP for Botetourt Funeral Home in Buchanan so the company can build a residence on the second floor of what is proposed to be a new reception area for the funeral home.

A third item on the planners’ Monday night agenda was also recommended for approval. That rezoning request will allow a Cloverdale parcel to be rezoned from Business B-2 to Rural Residential.

Fralin & Waldron representatives had asked for the text amendment changes to the Traditional Neighborhood (TND) section of the zoning ordinance so the ordinance would provide a consistent set of regulations for the zoning district.

With the changes, the developer would have the updated ordinance provide residential density levels in a TND, rather than the proffers the company made when the property was rezoned several years ago.

Under the original proffers, the 117-acre mixed commercial/residential development was allowed to have 300 residential units with 120 multi-family units.

Without the proffers, there would be no limit on the number of apartments; however, the only place that apartment buildings can be built is in the Core area of the DTC that’s identified on the original concept plan.

Fralin & Waldron representative Andy Kelderhouse said there is no intention for any additional stand-alone, multi-family structures. The only additional apartments would anticipate would be those over first story commercial/office/retail, Planning and Zoning Administrator Nicole Pendleton said.

The changes would also increase the maximum height of buildings and structures, with an SEP, from 50 to 60 feet. Another would remove a requirement that 50 percent of approved dwellings may be built prior to construction of at least 50 percent of the approved commercial component of the TND.

The SEP request was related to the height restrictions. Fralin & Waldron wants to build two new apartment buildings with 95 units that, if approved, will be up to 60 feet tall— four stories with parking below.

The planners added one condition that the buildings could be no more than four stories.

Another proposed text amendment would increase the maximum commercial uses to 25 percent of the gross development area, decreases the maximum industrial uses to 15 percent of the gross development area, and clarify that the ratios refer to gross development area. Together the commercial and industrial areas could not exceed 30 percent of the gross development area.

Four area residents made comments on the requests during the public hearing.

One was concerned about the possibility of industrial activities in the area. Pendleton clarified that nothing more intense than Business B-1 or B-2 activities are allowed in the area.

Another was concerned about the height of the new building and being able to see the building from his adjacent property.

Kelderhouse explained that the four-story building will not be sitting on the highest point of the land, diminishing the visual impact.

The other speakers were concerned about traffic and speeding on Glebe Road. The planners acknowledged the issues but did not see the proposed project itself as greatly increasing, if at all, the traffic on the road.

The planners also recommended approving Larry C. Cecile Jr.’s request to rezone a 1.17-acre lot at 61 Sycamore Lane, Cloverdale, from B-2 to RR in order to change the status of the existing single-family dwelling from a nonconforming to a conforming use, therefore allowing expansions to the house and associated accessory structures.

The Board of Supervisors will consider the planners’ recommendations and hold public hearings on the requests at its April 25 meeting at 6 p.m. at Greenfield Education and Training Center in Daleville.